Please welcome Vera West, The Fictional Cafe’s Poet in Residence, who shares her thoughts about our National Poetry Month celebration: chickadee I’m not always angry but I am mostly melancholy, thinking about those little potholes of memories riddling a twisting road of disappointment; these memories jar me: pancakes, carnivals, front yard barbecues, black fridays and pastel pink egg hunts, nicknames no one else called me; these memories always jarred me, they’re so different than the standard of both back then and now. ** thinking of you Things you did right: encourage me to be authentic, drive me around town, instill independence, and push high expectations. [I want to be somewhere in the middle, between the good and the bad, between emotion and logic, but I’m stuck in extremes. either I miss you terribly or hate you…
Week Four: Eric Forsbergh, Susan Simonds, and Eric Goodman
Two Erics? How did that happen? Is it a coincidence or kismet? Let’ give ’em both a read before we decide. Here’s our first, Eric Forsbergh. The Love Poetry of Eric Forsbergh My Lucky Jacket My lucky jacket drapes me pleasingly: a cross between the wings of victory and an asbestos fire suit. A cloth talisman, it buffs my confidence to polished brass. After all, I wore it during our initial kiss. It’s my fabric shield the eyes of trolls roll off. On my motorcycle, in the rain, I swear this jacket wards me from a lightning strike. You’re my loving skeptic. You claim it’s not a coffin or a cure. You claim what counts will rise within my skin. My lucky jacket? Some days it’s like a rescue blanket made of foil: shiny and…
Week Three: John Kucera PLAGIARIST, Jaya Abraham, Gopal Lahiri
Three works attributed to John Kucera have been removed from our site because they were plagiarized from other poets and writers. We most sincerely apologize to those writers whose rights have been violated by the individual named John Kucera and condemn him for his plagiarism and lack of respect for the creative efforts of other people. Fictional Cafe will never tolerate plagiarism and will take down those who commit it. We invite those who have been wronged to submit work to Fictional Cafe, where you will be treated with all the respect we can muster. From Abu Dhabai, perhaps the most beautiful city on earth, please welcome Jaya Abraham and five of her poems. KENOPSIA* There is nothing between The moon and me, My gloomy crescent Clings to the skies tonight, Adamant, like the red…
“The Great Adverb War” by Russ Lopez
Time out from our celebration of National Poetry Month for a fun, witty short story about the nemesis of all writers: the adverb. Or is it? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states, “Adverbs are words that usually modify—that is, they limit or restrict the meaning of—verbs. They may also modify adjectives, other adverbs, phrases, or even entire sentences. Got it? Read on. The Great Adverb War A Short Story by Russ Lopez To nearly everyone’s surprise, the most contentious divide among Provincetown’s writers was not fiction vs. nonfiction, prose or poetry, or even the need for an Oxford comma, though Benji Camarillo’s husband had famously threatened to file for divorce over his refusal to use one after the penultimate noun in a series. No. The large, historic writing community in town violently splintered over adverbs. The war…
Week Two: AJ Huffman, Morouje Sherif, Charles Remmelkamp
We’re so delighted to welcome A. J. Huffman and her poetry to Fictional Cafe. A.J. is a poet and freelance writer in Daytona Beach, Florida. She has published 27 collections and chapbooks of poetry. In addition, she has published her work in numerous national and international literary journals. She is currently the editor for Kind of a Hurricane Press literary journals. Two Boards Don’t Always Equal An X I wear his depression for hours. Like a crown of duller thorns, it does not bleed me. But breeds a bizarre dissension. I understand the gray it is shading. Around my edges it appears. Colder than his. He shudders. Mistaking the chill for lore. It is not your soul leaving your body. I sigh. (It is my soul trying to breathe.) You worry I am not strong/safe/alive enough to hold you. You are wrong (Such…